Taste Taiwan: Cooking, Culture, and Mandarin Chinese
Course Description
Summary
Building on the hands-on, experiential approach of the previous semester, this course invites students to continue exploring Taiwan through Taiwanese cooking, practical Mandarin Chinese, and contemporary Taiwanese culture. Students will prepare four to six Taiwanese dishes while developing practical language skills and discovering how food, music, and everyday experiences shape life in Taiwan.
Some sessions will take place in a fully equipped kitchen, where students will work together to prepare and enjoy Taiwanese cuisine. Other sessions will be held in a regular classroom, focusing on practical Mandarin Chinese, Taiwanese food culture, and contemporary life in Taiwan. Students will explore the culture of Taiwan’s night markets, popular music, youth culture, and everyday lifestyles, gaining insight into the interests, experiences, and cultural expressions of younger generations.
Throughout the course, students will develop beginning-level Mandarin listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills, with an emphasis on useful vocabulary, expressions, and conversations related to food, cooking, ingredients, ordering meals, music, and daily life. Through interactive activities, cultural discussions, and collaborative projects, students will connect language learning with authentic experiences and develop a broader understanding of Taiwan beyond its culinary traditions.
A field trip to Albany will provide an opportunity to experience Taiwanese cuisine beyond the classroom and connect course learning with real-world cultural experiences.
All course materials and cooking ingredients will be provided at no cost to students.
Learning Outcomes
- By the end of the course, students will be able to:
*Develop Practical Mandarin Skills: Use basic Mandarin Chinese vocabulary, expressions, and sentence patterns related to food, ingredients, cooking methods, music, and everyday communication.
*Apply Language in Real Life Situations: Demonstrate listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills through hands-on cooking activities, classroom exercises, and practical conversations.
*Prepare Taiwanese Cuisine: Participate in preparing four to six Taiwanese dishes, follow recipes and cooking instructions, and collaborate with classmates throughout the cooking process.
*Explore Taiwanese Food and Night Market Culture: Identify key features of Taiwanese culinary traditions and night market culture, and explain how food reflects Taiwan’s daily life.
*Discover Contemporary Taiwanese Youth Culture: Explore contemporary Taiwanese popular music, youth culture, and everyday lifestyles.
*Connect Language Learning with Cultural Experiences: Apply Mandarin Chinese in authentic culinary and everyday contexts while developing an understanding of the relationship between language, food, popular culture, and Taiwanese society.
Prerequisites
One semester of college-level Chinese, or any student with very basic knowledge of Chinese.
Please contact the faculty member : glin@bennington.edu
Cross List
- Cultural Studies and Languages